Via Trafeh’s lawyer, Jonathan LaCour, Letsrun received a statement in which Trafeh acknowledged purchasing the blood-boosting drug but claimed he never used it. He wrote, "a number of frustrating and serious injuries have plagued my ability to train, race, and remain competitive over the course of these past eighteen months." Trafeh said he bought the EPO to try to regain his previous form.

In the statement provided to Letsrun, Trafeh wrote that he was “stopped by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and they discovered the banned substance.” As Letsrun points out, Trafeh made it unclear whether the discovery of his EPO possession, which occurred at an unnamed airport, was made by customs officials who informed USADA of the incidents or by USADA officials.

Trafeh said that he is retiring because he can't afford to contest the case, according to the statement given to Letsrun.

Trafeh, 29, moved to the United States from Morocco in 1999; he became a U.S. citizen in 2008. He’d been a two-time Foot Locker Cross Country finalist while at Duarte High School in California, but his brief running career at the University of Arizona was undistinguished, and he dropped out.

He began to make his impact as a pro in 2009, with a second-place finish at the national 20K championship. His first national title was at 15K in 2010. In 2011, he won national road titles at 15K, 10 miles and the half marathon. Trafeh set the American 25K record of 1:14:18 in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2013; it was tied this year by Christo Landry.

He was considered an outside contender at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials but dropped out after being among the early leaders. In December 2012, he set his marathon personal best of 2:11:41 at Japan’s Fukuoka Marathon. On the basis of that performance, he was named to the U.S. team for the 2013 world championships marathon, but he withdrew from the team a month before the race.